Automatic locomotive-controlling mechanism.



O. H. NAV|LLE.- AUTOMATIC LOCOMOTLVE CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION F ILED FEB. 27,1912.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916-.

3 Hue/M501 Wikweoow THE COLUMBIA Puu wsRAPu co., WASHINGTON, u c.

0. H. NAVILLE.

AUTOMATIC LOCOMOTIVE commune MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILE D 18.27; 1912.

1,174,435. Patented'Mar. 7,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON. D. c

OSCAR H. NAVILLE, orLA FAYETTE, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC LOCOMOTIVE-C ON-TROLLIN-G- MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lVIar. v, 1916.

Application filed February 27, 1912. Serial 110.680364.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR I-I. NAVILLE, citizen of the United States,residing at La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticLocomotive-Controlling Mechanisms, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to railroad appliances, and particularly to meansfor automatically controlling the throttlevalve and air brakemechanismof a railroad locomotive.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of means whereby a.locomotive and its train of attached cars may be automatically stoppedwithout the intervention of the engineer at a certain specified point orpoints along the railway line, thus preventing the train from entering ablock upon which another train is standing, running by a stop signaleither by accident or design, or crossing an intersecting track wherethere is danger of meeting another train thereon.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the character describedwhich will act to stop a train as above stated, and which is operablemanually by a tower man or other employee.

A further object is to provide mechanism of this character which may beapplied to any ordinary locomotive and which will necessitate very fewchanges in the construction of the locomotive cab and no change in thelocomotive equipment. 7

A further object is to provide in this connection a locomotive cabprovided with current actuated valves controlling the passage of air tothe air brake mechanism and the passage of steam to the cylinders, saidvalves being so arranged that they may be operated upon the closing of acircuit but yet permit the manual actuation of the valves by theengineer whenever desired.

Further objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through the upper portion ofthe cab of a locomotive showing my controlling mechanism in placetherein. Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section; Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of the armature carrying rod and the mounting for thesame.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indiner from the roof of the cab about the boiler 17.The return wire from the electro-magnet passes .over to the other sideof the .cab as'at 13 and extends down to the currentcollecting memberson that side. It will be understood of course that these wires 18 and 13are protected by insulation,

Interposed in the length of the wires 13* and 13 is a signal lamp 18,which when the current passes through the wires 18 13 is lighted so asto give a signal to the engineer. Mounted Within the cab is the ordinarythrottle lever 19 of any usual construction and connected to a throttlevalve rod 20. The throttle valve is also of any usual construction andtherefore requires no special description. v

For the purpose of actuating the throttle valve when the electro magnets15 are energized, Iprovide an armature 21 which is mounted upon .atransversely extending guide rod 22 supported in any suitable manner butillustrated as slidably mounted in depending guides 28 extending fromthe roof of the cab. The rod is formed on its outer extremity with ahead 24, and disposed between this head andthe guide 23 is a coil spring25 which acts to retract the rod 22 and the armature and hold thearmature away from the lelectro-magnets when the latter are.d'eenergized.

Extending from the boiler 17 is a steam pipe 26 which extendslaterallyand then downwardly and enters the forward end of a cylinder 27 whichfor the purpose of this description is designated as the main cylinder,the position and construction of the main cylinder being illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2. In the length of thissteampipe is disposed .a valve 28which is connected by means of an arm 28 to the rod 22 so that when therod is moved toward the magnet 15, the valve 28 will be opened,permitting the passage ofsteam from the boiler to the forward end .ofthe main cylinder 27. When,

however, the magnet is deenergizedand the spring 25 retracts the rod 22,the valve 28 will be closed, cutting off the supply of steam to the maincylinder 27.

Disposed within the main cylinder 27 is a piston 29 having a piston rod30 which extends out through the end of the cylinder and is connected bya link 31 to the throttle lever 19. This throttle lever is connected bythe link 32 to the throttle valve in a manner evident to those skilledin the art. It will be seen then that when the valve 28 is opened thesteam passes through the steam pipe 26 to the forward part of the maincylinder 27 forcing the piston 29 back to its full extent and drawingthe throttle lever forwardly, thus closing the throttle of the engineand cutting OK the admission of steam to the cylinder.

Passing from a point intermediate the ends of the main cylinder 27 is aconducting pipe 33 which enters the forward end of a cylinder 34% whichfor the purpose of this description is referred to as the air brakecylinder and which is provided near its rear end with an exhaust pipe 35leading to any suitable point of exhaust. Disposed within the air brakecylinder 34!: is a piston 36, and mounted between the piston and therear end of the air brake cylinder 3 1 is a spring 37 which acts toforce the piston 36 outward.

Attached to the piston 36 and projecting through the front wall of theair brake cylinder, is a piston rod 38 which is connected to an arm 39forming the actuating arm for a valve 40 disposed in a by-pass 50. .Thisby-pass 50 is mounted upon the air pipe 51 leading to the auxiliaryreservoir and connects this air pipe with a train pipe 52 leading to theair brake system of the engine. Ordinarily, passage of air to the airpipe from the train pipe is controlled by means of a handle 53, and whenthis handle is turned in one direction, it cuts off entirely the supplyof air to the pipe 51. hen however the handle is turned in an oppositedirection, the air brake system is set in operation. This by-pass 50 isintended to pro vide an automatic means for connecting the air pipe withthe usual triple valve operating mechanism so that when the valve 10 isturned in one direction, the air brakes may be actuated while whenturned in the other direction, the air brakes will remain unactuated.

As another signal to the engineer, when the throttle valve is turned tocut off communic-ation between the boiler and the cylinders of thelocomotive and when the air brake is thrown on, I provide a whistledesignated 5 and mounted upon a pipe 55 projecting from the pipe 26. Assteam passes through this pipe 26 upon the opening of the valve 28, thesteam will also pass through the whistle 54 and the whistle will beactuated.

The operation of my invention is as follows. When the block is closed tothe train,

the signal-man sets the track apparatus so that immediately upon theentrance of the locomotive in the closed block, current will be sentthrough the wires 13 and 13 and the electro-magnets energized.Immediately upon the energizing of the magnets 15, the armature 21 willbe drawn toward the magnets and will throw open the valve 28. Steam willthen be admitted from the boiler to the main cylinder 27 and actuatingthe piston therein will draw over the throttle lever, thereby closingthe throttle and cutting off communication with the engine cylinders.

hen the piston 29 is moved rearwardly beyond the end of the pipe 33 thesteam will pass down through said pipe and into air brake cylinder 34,shifting the piston 36 therein rearward against the action of the spring37. This shifting over of the piston will open the valve 40 through theby-pass 50 and permit the brakes to be actuated. A further movement ofthe piston 36 rearward to its full extent will permit the steam to passout through the exhaust 35. Steam will continue to pass from the boilerthrough the cylinders 27 and 34: while the magnets 15 are energized.When the train backs out of the block or the track apparatus is restoredto normal after stoppage of the train, the magnets 15 will bedele'nergized. The spring 25 will then retract the armature, and indoing so will shift the valve 28 to a closed position, thus cutting offthe steam from the pipes 26 and 33. The engineer may then start up hisengine by opening the throttle. This will cut off communication betweenthe pipe 33 .and the pipe 26 and reduce the pressure in front of thepiston 36, and hence the spring 37 will force said piston outward,closing the valve A0 and releasing the brakes.

My invention is of particular value in that it prevents an engineerrunning past a certain stopping point, either because he deliberatelyrefuses to notice a stop signal, or because the stop signal is obscured,as in cases of fog, snow and the like. It will thus be obvious that atower or signal-man, for instance, may control the train by setting thetrack apparatus and that the train cannot go forward again until theblock has been opened by the tower-man.

My invention is exceedingly simple, may be applied to locomotives atpresent in use with very small change therein, and does not require anyelaborate change in the roadbed or addition thereto.

What I claim is 1. A locomotive controlling mechanism including apressure operated brake controlling valve, a valve controlling the supply offiuid pressure to said brake controlling valve, a throttlevalve,means operable connected to the pressure controlling valve,

a reciprocally mounted rod terminating at one end in an armature and atthe other end in a head provided with a slot through which the end ofthe valve lever is slidable, the valve lever being normally inclined-atan acute angle to the rod to facilitate its sliding in the slot of therod, and an electromagnet in a normally open or denergized circuitoperatively disposed With respect to the armature terminal of the rod tocause reciprocation of the rod.

2. A locomotive controlling mechanism including a brake controllingvalve, a valve controlling the supply of fluid pressure to the brakecontrolling valve, a throttle valve, means operable upon the opening ofthe fluid pressure controlling valve for closing the throttle valve andopening the brake controlling valve, a swingingly mounted valve leveroperatively connected to the pressure controlling valve, a bracket, arod reciprocally mounted in the bracket terminating at one end in anarmature and at the other end in an enlarged head provided with a slotthrough which the end of the valve lever is slidable, the valve leverbeing normally inclined at an acute angle to the plane of the rod tofacilitate its sliding in the slot of the head, an electro-magnet in anormally open or deenergized circuit operatively disposed With respectto the armature terminal of the rod to efiect opening of the brakecontrolling valve, and a spring held between the bracket and head fornormally holding the rod in position to keep said valve closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

OSCAR H. NAVILLE. [1,. s] Witnesses:

CHARLES E. THOMPSON, BESSE M. BIGANE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

